Aftermath
by Celonhael
Summary: The group must deal with the death of Izumi; unexpected happenings
1. Chapter 1

Thunder rolled overhead.  
It carried across the land, echoing and rolling. Above the dark clouds, lightning flickered angrilly, and another peal of thunder exploded overhead.  
People scuttled to their small houses, looking fearfully up at the sky overhead. The thunder felt like a living thing, pushing down on the villager's heads, assaulting their ears and even their bodies.  
No rain fell.  
A hot wind blew across the land, kicking up dirt and dust, rippling the withered trees.  
For three days, this storm had rumbled overhead, angry and sullen. Occasionally the thunder would fade off for a few hours, but the dark clouds were always overhead, the hot wind always blowing.  
The villagers were frightened. It was as if the sky were angry at someone. If lightning reached the ground, a terrible forest fire could start. And with almost no water, it would be horrible.  
The five of them sat inside Kaede's hut. They had returned there after the terrible attack on the island, and now wondered what to do. Kaede didn't know Izumi, had never met her, but she agreed it was a terrible blow, to have lost not only a friend, but someone who was their guide, their mentor, in what was supposed to be a terrible war. Izumi had been...untouchable. They had always been able to turn to her for advice, and not just about the war. Each one of them remembered having gone to her at least once for personal advice. Her gentle manner and kind smile had always been comforting.  
They felt shell-shocked.  
It had been four days now. The storm had moved in one day after the woman's death. They wondered what it meant. Was the Goddess Amaterasu raging over the loss of her First Handmaiden? If so, her anger could cause irrepairable damage to the lands below. If a fire started...  
InuYasha was being oddly silent. Kagome saw him looking into the distance often, as if he were looking at something only he could see. It bothered her to see such a lost look on his face, and she wondered if he were feeling the loss of not just a guide, but someone who had sort of been family.  
A short while after they had awoken, he had gone outside. He hadn't said much, just left, and Kagome wasn't sure if she should follow or not. She knew grief was personal, but wasn't sure just how much Izumi's death had affected him.  
Telling DarkWind to stay with the others, she slipped out after him.  
She was glad to see he hadn't gone far...if he had decided to run she would have lost sight of him within a few minutes. Instead he was up in a very tall tree, looking out over the forest.  
Looking in the direction the island had stood.  
It was now just a smoking ruin. Whatever trees had remained had fallen, pushed over by the angry wind. The wind had fueled the small fires, and what had been left was now burned beyond recognition. It was just a black smear on the horizon, smoke still rising, drifting with the wind.  
Kagome turned her face from the hot wind and the stinging debris, walking over to the base of the tree, and looked up at him.  
"InuYasha?"  
She had had to call him a second time before he heard her. He blinked down at her, and turned, hopping down.  
"You shouldn't be out here."  
"Neither should you. Are...you ok?"  
InuYasha crossed his arms, looking away, "I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?"  
Kagome studied him in silence for a moment, then spoke, "InuYasha. Don't. Don't do that to yourself."  
He looked at her, angry, about to retort, to say something angry, but the words died in his throat, and he just sighed, rubbing his face. Kagome was suddenly struck by how _tired_ he seemed.  
"I don't understand it," he said, "Izumi closed the last portal without a problem. Why did she die trying to close this one? It was bigger, yeah, but...all the power she had. What happened?"  
"I don't know," she said, shielding her face as another gust threw dirt and dust. InuYasha saw, and shook his head. He startled her by suddenly picking her up, and turning, leaping up into the branches of the tree.  
He jumped a few times, climbing higher, but staying low where the branches were thick enough to take their weight. He placed her on a branch near where it joined the tree, and slipped past her, sitting beside her.  
Kagome noticed right away up here the wind was still hot, but no dirt or dust flew about. The tree swayed a small bit, but nothing alarming.  
"Thank you," she said softly. She watched him, knowing his face well enough to know he needed to talk.  
He just nodded, and said nothing, looking over the treetops. The island couldn't be seen from here, but the long trail of black smoke could as it rose higher than the treetops.  
Kagome leaned against the trunk of the treee, resting her head against it, and watched the smoke quietly. She could still see the giant burning mountain, the meteor, falling from the sky, blasting past them in a deafening roar of fire and smoke and destruction and death, could still see the brilliant white light that blocked all view...could still see the giant cloud forming over the obliterated island, the cloud that rose into a mushroom shape. The shock wave, racing over the water towards them...  
She remembered the demon lord's voice, suddenly shocked, remembered him taking a step, reaching out as if he could have touched the island, remembered Sesshomaru's cry, _"Izumi!"_  
_Even he had been shocked at the power of the destruction, the force of the impact..._  
"I..."  
Kagome turned, looking at InuYasha. He was looking down at Tetsusaiga, which he had pulled from his hakama, resting it in it's sheath across his thighs.  
"InuYasha?"  
His voice was very low, very troubled, "I think...I might have killed her."  
Kagome blinked, leaning towards him a little.  
"What do you mean? You were back with us when that...that...meteor hit. You didn't do that."  
"No, but I...I..."  
She watched him.  
He couldn't meet her eyes, "I tried to close the portal. By myself."  
Kagome frowned, "What? What are you saying?"  
He looked at her, suddenly angry and upset, and frightened, "I tried to close the portal by myself, Kagome! I thought I could do it, but I couldn't! She told me I couldn't, but I tried anyway!"  
She watched him, eyes wide, "What...what happened?"  
"I...it was like she said. The...the portal took all my power. I tried to use the SolarFlare on it, but it just...it _sucked_ it right in, like it was sucking up a noodle or something! It took it, and it made it stronger, more powerful. It corrupted it somehow, but made it stronger. Then it...it turned it back on me."  
Kagome continued to listen, shocked.  
InuYasha rubbed his face again, "I panicked. I mean...the SolarFlare wouldn't normally hurt me. Iz - Izumi said it can't hurt people who aren't agents of Keimetsu. So normally...but this SolarFlare was corrupted. And so strong. And I...I panicked." He said the last as if he were cursing himself. Which he was.  
"And...what happened?"  
InuYasha looked back down to the Tetsusaiga, unable to meet her eyes, "I tried the Blacklash Wave. I wanted to just blow that the hell away from me. But it...the portal took _that_ too."  
She continued to stare, shocked.  
"It took the Backlash, and it...it sucked everything out of Tetsusaiga. And me. I could _feel_ it draining out of me. Tetsusaiga...Tetsusaiga fought back, but it was overwhelmed. It just failed. And then everything hit me, the SolarFlare, the Backlash, everything."  
"What happened to you!?"  
He shook his head, "I was knocked cold. Took out a bunch of trees, tore a pretty damn big hole in the ground. Izumi found me, I guess, and brought me to. Gave me Tetsusaiga, and sent me back to you guys. She said she was going to close the portal. And from now on, to call Mikado if we saw another portal."  
Silence. The wind moaned around them.  
He spoke again, "If I hadn't tried to close that damn portal, when Izumi got there, it wouldn't have been more powerful. Izumi had to fight the portal, _and_ my SolarFlare and Backlash Wave."  
Kagome shook her head, "InuYasha...I don't mean to belittle you or anything, but...I don't think your SolarFlare _and_ Backlash Wave could do too much to Izumi. She was practically a demi-god. She had absorbed so much power by being in Amaterasu's presence..."  
InuYasha looked back to her, golden eyes dark, "Then why did she die? It makes so sense."  
"I...I don't know. But...InuYasha...you said Izumi said if we found another portal to call Mikado to close it?"  
"Yeah."  
"Why would she say that?"  
"What do you mean?"  
Kagome paused, then spoke, "Why wouldn't she say to call _her_? She visits ...visited...us a lot more than Mikado does."  
Silence. He looked at her, eyes widening slightly, "You're not saying..."  
"I...I don't know."  
"You think she _knew_?"  
Kagome leaned back, not liking the look in his eyes, "I don't know, InuYasha, I'm not her. I... I just think it was an odd thing to say. And...I mean...what happened? The whole meteor...that's not Izumi. Did _she_ do that? Or someone else? Was that how someone decided to kill her, or..."  
"Why would Izumi drop a damn mountain on that island?! Look what it did to the shoreline! Boats were destroyed, fishermen had their wharves ruined! It'll take months to fix everything! That's not Izumi, she wouldn't do that!"  
"No, you're right, of course she wouldn't. Which makes me think someone else must have used it as an attack on her...but..."  
InuYasha looked back to the Tetsusaiga. _Had_ she known? Had Izumi somehow known she was going to die?  
He suddenly remembered her face, looking so exhausted, so tired. What had happened? Had she been attacked before reaching the island?  
Laying a hand on the sheath of Tetsusaiga, he remembered seeing the Goddess' symbol, the sunburst, on his Tetsusaiga flickering and flashing in bits and pieces instead of one steady glow, like normal. It was evidence Tetsusaiga had been having trouble fending off the attack.  
Had even Tetsusaiga suffered because of him?  
_Forgive me, Tetsusaiga. And forgive me, Izumi. I'm sorry._  
Kagome watched his face, "You're blaming yourself. You _can't_, InuYasha. How could you have done _anything_ to harm Izumi? She was so much more powerful than you!"  
"I don't know," he said lowly.  
A sudden thought popped into her head, and she turned to him, suddenly taking his arm, "InuYasha, you have to promise me something."  
He blinked at her, at her sudden, urgent tone, "What?"  
"Promise me you won't talk about this, or mention any of it, in Sesshomaru's presence."  
InuYasha blinked, "What?"  
"Promise me you won't say you feel like it's your fault Izumi died in his presence, or anywhere he can hear. Promise me!"  
"Alright, ok, but what's the deal?"  
Kagome suddenly remembered the demon lord on the ruined island. How shocked he had looked when he had seen Izumi lying beneath the wreckage. And how he had...  
_Embraced her?_  
The look on his face as he turned, carrying her off to see to her remains. There had been a strange look on his face she had never seen before...a mixture of anger and...regret? Grief?  
"InuYasha, if Sesshomaru thinks you had any part to play in Izumi's death, he'll try to kill you."  
InuYasha blinked again, "What? Kagome, I'm telling you, Sesshomaru didn't-"  
"If you had seen him on that island, InuYasha, you'd say different. He took her remains to give her the burial she wanted. Does Sesshomaru seem like the type of person who would do that for anyone?"  
He opened his mouth to speak, and shut it again. He shook his head, "No. I don't believe it."  
"Regardless, promise me!"  
"Alright, ok, I promise!"  
She fell silent again, looking out towards the black smoke.  
Everything was falling apart. People hunting InuYasha in her world, now Izumi was gone.  
"Kagome?"  
She turned, looking at him. He was watching her, worried. Hesitantly, he touched her shoulder, "We...we'll be ok."  
"Yeah," she said lamely, "I know."  
He just watched her, unsure of what to say, or do.  
"InuYasha!?"  
Blinking, both InuYasha and Kagome turned, looking down to the ground. At Mikado, who was looking up at them with grief on her face.  
_"Where is she? What happened to Izumi?!"_  
"You... don't know?"  
"Of course I don't know!" Mikado screamed, leaping up into the branches of the tree opposite them. Her face was haggard and pale, clothing rumpled, "We just lost all contact with her! She just disappeared! She can't have died, she _can't_!"  
"She...she's gone, Mikado," Kagome said softly.  
"What happened!? Tell me what happened!"  
Hesitantly, InuYasha related what had happened, keeping his face lowered, unable to meet her eyes. No matter what Kagome said, he somehow felt it was his fault she was gone. If he hadn't powered the portal with his SolarFlare and the Backlash Wave, maybe it wouldn't have killed her.  
Mikado shook her head, angry, "No. That wouldn't have done it. You shouldn't have tried to close the portal, you fool, but not even your SolarFlare _and_ the Backlash Wave would have killed Izumi. It might have roughed her up some, but not killed her! There must be more!"  
"I'm telling you all I know!" he said, growing angry, glaring at her, "That's all that happened!"  
"I saw her, Mikado," Kagome said, "And she was...she was gone."  
"Well where is she?! What did you do with her body!?"  
"Sesshomaru took it."  
_"Sesshomaru!?"_  
InuYasha looked away, "I was...I was going to...bury her next to my mother. But Kagome said that Sesshomaru said that Izumi had once told him what she wanted done with her remains if anything..."  
"None of this is making any sense!" Mikado said, furious.  
"How did you hear about it, Mikado?" Kagome asked.  
"_Hear_ about it!? I _felt_ it! Something happened, something not allowed. It was like a bell going off or something! I felt it deep inside me! Then this...this _wrenching_ feeling. Then ..."  
Mikado fell silent.  
"Mikado?"  
"Then Mother Amateraru screamed."  
She fell silent, her face pale, "She...she called out to Izumi. But there was no answer. And I could see on her face, there was no...nothing."  
Mikado looked at Kagome, and the young woman was shocked to see tears welling up in the Senmin's eyes, "Mother Amaterasu looked at me and cried, "Where is my daughter!?", and I didn't know. I didn't know! I couldn't find her either. And if Izumi can't be found by Amaterasu...then...it's...because she's gone from this world."  
Silence. The wind moaned around them.  
Mikado sobbed, wiping her tears angrilly, "I'm not ready to do this! I wasn't supposed to be in control during this war! Izumi was supposed to take care of all this!"  
"Is Amaterasu doing this?" InuYasha asked, "This storm?"  
"No. At least, not directly."  
"Not _directly_? What the hell does that mean?"  
"The gods are fighting, InuYasha. There's a war in the heavens."  
InuYasha fell silent, confused.  
Mikado sniffed, wiping her nose, and continued, "When Izumi died, it left a lot of chaos. No one saw it coming. It wasn't fortold in any of the fates the Gods looked into."  
"I thought Izumi was a Fate Breaker?"  
"_You're_ a Fate Breaker, Kagome. You and your friends. We're not, not even Izumi and I. Our fates are predetermined. There are several that could come true, but all were studied by the Gods. And Izumi dying _now_ was not in _any_ of them."  
"So why is everyone fighting?"  
"Some of the Gods are...afraid."  
"What?"  
"They're starting to think Keimetsu might be too powerful for us. Some are...no one has said anything yet, but some are considering...trying to achieve peace with them. Seeing what his demands are."  
InuYasha blinked at her, furious, _"What his demands are?! He wants to destroy everything! That's his demands! How the hell do you agree to something like that!?"_  
Mikado rubbed her face, tiredly, "That's what the war is about. It's a war of words, but it's still violent."  
A strong wind battered the trees they perched in, as if to agree.  
"How is it that Izumi died, if her fate was predetermined?" Kagome asked gently.  
"I don't know. The...the only way I can is...if...if she ... killed herself."  
"What?"  
"It's how it would happen. That was the only way she could have avoided her fate. But why? Why would she do that?"  
Kagome studied Mikado, then spoke, "You said you felt that something had happened. Something not allowed. What do you mean?"  
Mikado closed her eyes, sighing, "The Gods, and we Senmin, have limitations placed on us. Our limitations are placed on us by the Gods."  
"The...the Gods have limitations placed on them? By _who_?"  
Mikado shrugged, "I don't know. They won't tell, and I consider it rude to ask. Regardless, there are certain limitations. They can't _unmake_ anything. They can't-"  
"You mean you can't destroy things? That's not right, I've seen-"  
"No, InuYasha, they can't _unmake_ them. There's a difference."  
"Like what?"  
Mikado looked at Kagome, "She would understand. It has to do with destroying what her world calls _matter_."  
Kagome blinked, "I...yeah. You can't destroy matter, you can only change it's form. We learned that in physics."  
"Exactly."  
"I don't know what you're talking about!" InuYasha complained.  
"Just suffice to say, there are things we can't do, and things the Gods can't do. They're not allowed to bring people back from the dead. They're not allowed to-"  
"But...people _have_ come back from the dead." Kagome said softly.  
Mikado nodded, "Yes, but the _Gods_ can't."  
"Why not?"  
Mikado started to look frusterated, "They just can't! Let's say you discovered a human you liked! And he died. So you bring him back. And he dies again. And you bring him back again. The human mind can't take that. It can't take being yanked back and forth like that. That's why Amaterasu didn't _let_ Sango die. When Sango died, her soul was held in check by Amaterasu, it didn't go to the next world. If it had, not even Amaterasu could have brought her back. Sometimes, _mortals_ can bring people back. Like Kikyo."  
"Why could a mortal, when a God can't?"  
"I just told you, a God could bring someone back over and over and over. A mortal only has so much, and then they die."  
"I'm not following you," InuYasha grumbled.  
Mikado sighed, "Ok, look. Say you die, InuYasha. And Kagome brings you back. Even if you die three or four times, if you're _unbelievably_ unlucky, eventually, _Kagome_ will die, and your Yo-yo-ing back and forth will stop. A God doesn't have that limitation, so you could just be yo-yo-ed back and forth forever. Your soul would become tattered and torn as a result. Gods...don't have _souls_ as we think of them, so they can't understand how it would feel. So they just can't bring anyone back."  
"Oh."  
"So if InuYasha died, he - '  
Mikado suddenly froze, mid-word. She stopped, looking at InuYasha with a strange look on her face.  
"What did you say happened on that island?"  
InuYasha blinked, and repeated what he had said earlier.  
Kagome frowned, looking from Mikado to InuYasha. Was there something she had missed? Was-  
Mikado's words, _"If InuYasha died, he - "_  
And his own, _"I was knocked out."_  
Kagome looked down at her own feet, shocked. _Were you knocked out, InuYasha, or were you killed?_  
She looked up, to see Mikado looking straight at her, a shocked look on her face, and knew the Senmin was thinking the same thing. Mikado gave Kagome a very small shake of her head, and Kagome looked away.  
"What's going on, why did you stop talking?" InuYasha asked.  
"Nothing. I just...I just suddenly remembered something. I have to go. I..." Mikado stood up, "I'll be in touch with you, let you know what's going on. I have to get back..."  
Kagome nodded, and stood up as well, "We need to get back to the others, InuYasha, they might worry."  
InuYasha picked Kagome up, and jumped down to the ground. As he was putting her on her feet, Mikado's voice spoke directly into her mind.  
_~Do not let him know what happened. I think we both know what happened, but don't let him know. Not yet.~_  
Kagome paused, trying to talk back the way she did to DarkWind, not sure if Mikado would be able to hear her, _~Not ever. If he ever finds out she died because of him-~_  
There was no reply, and she didn't know if the Senmin had heard her or not.  
InuYasha touched her arm, and she realized she had stopped walking when Mikado had spoken, "Kagome?"  
"Yeah. Let's go."

The wind rattled the window coverings violently. The old woman stood up, tottering over to them, making sure the coverings were well tied down.  
"My goodness, what a terrible night. Such a storm."  
The young woman seated on the other side of the room took no notice of the wind or the storm.  
She sat cross-legged, holding up a small mirror, looking at her face in silence.  
Staring.  
There was color in her face. Her cheeks were pink.  
_I have color in my face again,_ Kikyo thought.  
She lowered a hand to her chest, feeling her heart beating.  
_I'm alive._  
"Priestess, do you think this storm is a bad omen?"  
"What?" Kikyo looked up from the mirror, looking at the old woman, almost dazed, "I'm sorry?"  
The old woman chuckled, "I said, do you think this storm is a bad omen? First the drought, and now this..."  
"Oh. No, I'm certain it's just a terrible storm. It will blow over."  
"Perhaps you're right."  
The Priestess looked back to the mirror again, thinking, dazed, _I'm alive._


	2. Chapter 2

Kikyo leaned her head back against the wall, and closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of the warmth of the fire, listeing to the sound of her own heart beating again.  
How long had it been, since she heard her heart beating?  
She had met that man's master in the forest...  
His name was Tsubaro...

The man was not as tall as the man who had met Kikyo in the forest, the strange one with the half-mask of silver and icy green eyes. His long flowing scalp lock swayed when his moved. She still didn't know his name, but his master's name was Tsubaro.  
He was not that tall, and he appeared to be rather plain looking. In fact, he was bordering on chubby. Short black hair, plain eyes, plain clothing. He certainly seemed un-impressive. But if he was a Senmin, as the other man had said, it could explain much. Some of the Gods and Goddesses took vassals for different reasons, and perhaps they had their own reasons for not appearing too impressive.  
Certainly she could _sense_ the great power Tsubaro held, even if he _did_ resemble a farmer.  
"So then, this is the Priestess Kikyo." He smiled at her, kindly, "I have heard good things about you. You have done a lot of good work in your day. Such a pity, you came to this ending."  
Kikyo studied him warily. He certainly had no taint of Naraku about him...but then again, if Naraku had died and then been brought back, as InuYasha had told her...who's to say what his powers were like now?  
"Your servant there tells me you can...bring me back from the dead."  
"That's right, Kikyo. I can. It's actually not that hard...most of the work has already been done, you see. Your soul has been returned. I just have to give you a flesh-and-blood body. It's quite easy for someone with my powers."  
Kikyo forced herself to remain calm. She had learned the hard way nothing was ever easy, and nothing was free.  
"What do you ask in return? I'm no fool. I know you're not just going to do this out of the goodness of your heart."  
"Actually, I'm not, no. But Binzuru is."  
Kikyo fell silent for a moment, then spoke.  
"Binzuru? You are his Senmin?"  
"I do indeed have the pleasure of calling the God of healing illnesses my master. He saw the work you have done, Kikyo, both in your...earlier life, and even now, and is pleased. That is why I am able to offer this to you."  
Kikyo listened, mulling it over in her head. Certainly, she _had_ devoted a great deal of her life to healing illnesses. Even after she had been brought back by that witch, she still often helped people in villages who came to her for healing skills.  
Was it possible, then? Was this truly possible?  
"If you don't mind me asking," Tsubaro said, "If you do accept this gift from my Master, what will you do?"  
"Do? What do you mean?"  
"Well...you used to guard the Shikon, did you not?"  
"That's right."  
"Only now another Priestess has it. What will you do?"  
Kikyo frowned, "That girl that has it now is no Priestess. She has had no training at all."  
"Really?" Tsubaro looked surprised, "And yet she seems able to do wonderful things with it! Not to mention she also has some skill in healing. Will you go and ask for it back?"  
"The only reason she has any healing skill at all is because my own sister has taught her. As for the Shikon...no. I gave my life for it once, I do not want it back."  
"Ah, then you will let the other Priestess have it. Perhaps that is for the best. My compatriot, the Handmaiden Izumi, tells me she is very important to a great war that is coming. Perhaps it's best if she keep it after all."  
Kikyo looked at him, "I told you that girl is no Priestess! And what do you mean, war?"  
"I believe you met the Handmaiden before, in the forest, on a path much like this one."  
"That was her? Yes...I met her..." Kikyo remembered the meeting...the woman had carried such power with her. How thrilled Kikyo had felt, after all this time, actually meeting a Handmaiden! But...this Handmaiden knew Kagome?  
"Why yes," Tsubaro nodded, "The Handmaiden Izumi has met this other Pri...er...other woman. They are quite close. Izumi tells me this other woman will play a very important role in the upcoming war. Everyone is very excited to meet her!"  
Kikyo frowned, "Kagome? Important? I have trouble believing that."  
"It's quite true, I tell you. Perhaps..." Tsubaro spoke quietly, "Perhaps if you had not died..._you_ would be the one all the fuss is being made over, hmmm? _You_ might be the one who was meeting with a true Handmaiden."  
Kikyo looked away, scowling, "I care nothing for that."  
"Oh? Ah well, then. So, have you decided? Would you like me to return to you the flush of life once more?"  
Kikyo looked at Tsubaro, and made up her mind.  
"Yes."  
He smiled, "Excellent."

Now she looked at herself in the mirror, unable to believe it. She was warm. She could feel the warmth inside her. Could feel her heart beating again.  
She had been _hungry_ earlier.  
She smiled at her reflection.

"Hmmmm. This is troubling news indeed."  
They all sat around a small cooking fire, listening to the wind howl outside. They watched as Kaede stirred a large pot of tea, "A verbal war in the heavens. None of this bodes well."  
"What I don't understand," Sango said, "Is why some of the gods want to talk to Keimetsu? He has already told them he wants nothing short of the utter destruction of everything. How can they possibly hope to reason with him?"  
"I don't know," Miroku said, "Maybe they hope to barter with him in some manner. Concede some things to gain others? I, personally, have no idea what a God would place on a bargaining table."  
"It's stupid, is what it is," the hanyou grumbled, "What, they're going to just give _half_ of everything away? How the hell does that work?"  
Kaede handed out some tea to those gathered. The wind assaulted the walls, the wind whislting in around small cracks, making the small fire in the center of the room shudder. Their shadows writhed against the wall as they spoke.  
Kaede turned to Kagome, holding out a cup. She paused, and had to speak the young woman's name twice before Kagome came out of her reverie.  
"Oh, thank you, Kaede."  
"Ye are deep in thought, child."  
"Sorry. Just...you know...thinking and stuff."  
"Anything ye wish to share? This is not a good time for dark thoughts."  
Kagome shook her head, "No, just...stuff."  
She rotated the cup in her hand, swirling the tea around within, watching the pattern of light on the surface of the water.  
Everything had gone from good to bad so quickly. InuYasha in her world, having his first birthday in a very long time, and then...being hunted by Jiro's cousin. Then coming here, and losing Izumi. Their _guide_. A _friend_. Now the Gods and Goddesses were arguing in the heavens.  
Another hard gust of wind struck the side of the hut, and she looked up, to meet InuYasha's eyes as he watched her.  
He blinked, looking back to his tea quickly, but the worried look on his face had been evident.  
_What will you do, if you ever find out? You've __**always**__ hated anyone getting hurt because of you. But if I'm right, and Izumi __**died**__..._  
The door flap suddenly moved, being pushed back as Mikado walked in.  
Everyone startled, not expecting it. Kaede blinked at the young woman who strode into her hut.  
"Mikado!" Miroku said, "I..I mean, Lady Mi-"  
The Senmin's face was pale, but angry, "If you start calling me Lady, monk, I'll drop kick you into next week."  
"I..uh. Yes, well then..."  
Mikado turned to Kaede, and bowed low, "Forgive my intrusion, Lady Kaede."  
"I am honoured to meet ye, Handmaiden Mikado." Kaede leaned forward, bowing, "I wish I had some refreshments to offer ye, but I feel ye did not come for a social visit."  
"You'd be right. Kagome, I need to talk to you outside for a minute."  
Everyone blinked, and Kagome rose, "Ok."  
InuYasha instinctively started to rise, and Mikado turned to him, "Get back on your butt, I didn't ask you."  
He blinked, "Hey!"  
Mikado held the doorflap for Kagome, and they slipped outside.  
Kagome put up a hand to sheild herself from the wind, blinking when it suddenly stopped. She turned to see the wind was still blowing all around them, kicking up dirt and dust, but she seemed to be in a little clearing of about 10 feet of still, calm air.  
Mikado, standing in the little shielded area, got right to the point, "I did some checking around. No one knows it yet, but...yeah. I know what happened."  
Kagome swallowed. She didn't want to say it, but knew she had to.  
"She...Izumi brought InuYasha back from the dead, didn't she?"  
Mikado looked haggard, but nodded, "Yeah."  
Kagome put a hand to her mouth, trying to keep herself in control.  
"What I think happened was like this," Mikado said, in a level tone, "InuYasha tried to close the portal, and it backfired, and killed him. When Izumi got there, and saw he was dead, she...she broke the law. She brought him back. He had just been killed, his soul was probably not completely in the other world yet, so it would have been possible to do it right then and there. Izumi had been with Mother Amaterasu for so long, she had literally absorbed so much of Amaterasu's power, that she was able to just reach through the veil and yank him back, right then and there."  
"But...but why did that kill her?"  
"It wouldn't have. But it would have taken all her power, Kagome. When someone brings back someone from the dead, to put them in a living body again, takes a _lot_ of power. The witch that brought Kikyo back was only able to make a body of dirt and bones for her. Even when Amaterasu herself kept Sango in check, when she brought her back, she had to put Sango right back in the same body again, which was why she came back injured. Izumi not only had to bring his soul back, but repair his broken body. The...the only way I can see her being able to do this was...was if she literally channelled all the power she had absorbed from Amaterasu into InuYasha. Every last drop."  
Kagome looked back at the hut.  
"He can't hear us, I'm blocking our sound."  
"So...what happened with the meteor, then? Was that Izumi?"  
"I...I guess so. It had to have been. There was no taint of anyone else around it. I guess the only thing she could do to close the portal was to bring that rock down. There would be enough power in it to close the portal, and destroy the island as well, making sure it couldn't ever re-open. But...Izumi had no power left to survive it. So she obliterated herself as well."  
Kagome took a shaky breath.  
"It's what she would do," Mikado said, looking at Kagome. She was startled to see tears in Mikado's eyes, though the woman was smiling sadly, "She really loved InuYasha, Kagome. Izumi always saw him as Izayoi and InuTashio's son, the union of their love. Although she was never allowed to raise him, she always sort of thought of him as hers too, you know. She would have done anything to raise him. I...I think if Amaterasu hadn't hidden him from her for a while, Izumi would have walked away from Amaterasu to raise him."  
Kagome spoke, "He can't know, Mikado. I don't know what he'd do if he ever found out. He was just starting to think of her as an Aunt. If he ever found out he was the cause of her death..."  
"Yeah, I know." Mikado took a deep breath, and let it out. She gave a weepy laugh, "I want to scream at him, so much, you know? I mean, he took Izumi from me. I've lived with that woman for over 1200 years, and now I just miss her so much. And I want to scream at him, that it was his fault. But I know...he just doesn't understand."  
Kagome nodded, then spoke, "Mikado, please. Don't...don't let Sesshomaru know."  
Mikado blinked at her, "Sesshomaru?"  
Kagome nodded, "I think...I think he was coming to care for her. Certainly she seemed to get away with more with him than I ever would have imagined. She actually talked him out of attacking InuYasha more than once."  
Mikado smiled sadly, "That doesn't surprise me. Izumi warming up The Neutral One's heart seems just the sort of thing Izumi would do without any idea. Sometimes that woman could be so blind..." she chuckled, and tears spilled over, running down her cheeks. She sniffed miserably, wiping them.  
"I wish I knew where he took her, but...I'm glad she can rest now. She was getting so tired. I'll keep it from both of them, Kagome. And I'll do my best by you. I was training to take over from her after this war...now I have to do it all myself, and it's not easy."  
Kagome nodded.  
Mikado sighed deeply, "Well...I have to go. There's a lot of stuff I have to do. If you need me, just pray to Amaterasu. I should be able to hear you. I'm afraid I can't talk to the birds..."  
"I'm sure you'll make her proud," Kagome said softly.  
Mikado just nodded mutely, and with a wave of her hand, destroyed the bubble of calm air they had been standing in. The wind shrieked around them, flinging up dirt and dust. Mikado faded into the brown darkness, and Kagome turned, walking back into the hut.  
Five pairs of eyes peered up at her when she walked back in. Kagome offered a wan smile, "She just wanted to talk. She's...missing Izumi."  
"Yes, I suppose she is," Miroku said gently, "They've probably been together a long time."  
Kagome knelt beside InuYasha again, "1200 years, Mikado said."  
"A long time to know someone," Kaede said gently, "It will take some getting used to."

That night, Kagome lay staring up at the roof over her head, listening to the storm rage outside. The others were all asleep, but her mind didn't want to rest. She was worried. Losing a friend was bad, but there was another side to it. Izumi was the one who guided them. What was going to happen now? Mikado was a Senmin too, but she seemed so unsure of herself. And now all the Gods and Goddesses were arguing. But why? Surely the loss of one Senmin hadn't been that big of a deal to them?  
Or did they think Keimetsu had killed her? Would that be enough to make them think they might lose?  
Or maybe it was even the fact that she wasn't _supposed_ to die. Mikado said none of the fore-ordained fates for Izumi showed her dying yet. Is that what frightened them?  
She sighed.  
"Kagome?" A faint whisper.  
Kagome turned to see InuYasha sitting up in the furthest corner of the room, his back against a wall, arms folded, Tetsusaiga leaning in the crook of his arm, his old style of sleeping. There was a window near him, the covering rolled back slightly so he could look out. She wasn't sure what he could see with all the darkness and dust, but considering how much better his eyes were than a human's, she figured he might be able to see something.  
Right now he was looking at her.  
Kagome pushed back her blankets, and sat up. She peered around at the others, saw they were still deep asleep. Quietly, she rose, and walked over to him, and sat beside him.  
"I wasn't sure if you were awake or not," he said, speaking softly so as not to wake the others.  
"Yeah, I can't sleep. Guess you can't either."  
"Mmm."  
Kagome drew her legs up, hugging her knees, looking down at her bare feet, "It's actually cool tonight. Been a while."  
"Are you cold?"  
She gave him a slight smile, "No, I'm good."  
He watched her face for a moment, then spoke, "What did Mikado talk to you about?"  
"Just...this and that."  
He quietly huffed, "Yeah, sure."  
She blinked at him. He looked away, "You're getting to be a terrible liar, you know that?"  
"Gee, and I've had so much practice."  
He turned to her, blinking, startled to see her half smiling at him, trying to joke.  
InuYasha failed to see the humor, "Funny."  
"Sorry. It was just...you know. She wanted to talk, that's all. She's...lonely."  
InuYasha turned, peering out into the darkness, "Mmm."  
Silence. Kagome watched him in silence for a few minutes. She knew every line in his face, the angle of his jaw, even the shape of his nose.  
_I could probably draw it with my eyes closed._  
"Do you want to talk about anything?"  
"No."  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yeah."  
"Alright." She rocked back and forth a little on her bottom and heels, waiting. She knew it was coming, he just had to find his own way.  
Silence.  
A gust of wind rocked the little hut, moaning.  
"I just..."  
Kagome turned, looking at him.  
InuYasha looked down to his lap, one hand gripping the hilt of the Tetsusaiga, hard. She suddenly noticed the sheath strap was there, tied just under the metal ring at the top, and she felt a burst of strong emotion. The red leather and small black tassle made the old sheath look a little fancier now, not like some cast-off someone had maybe thrown away.  
"I keep thinking, what if I _hadn't_ tried to close the portal myself? What if I had called Izumi right then and there? Would she still be alive?"  
"There's no way of knowing that, InuYasha."  
"And then there's what you said, about...maybe she knew she was going to die. That keeps coming back to me. Is that why she sent me back to you guys? So that mountain wouldn't fall on me too?"  
_I should have kept my mouth shut_, she thought.  
He looked at her, golden eyes confused...and hurt.  
"Why did she do it? She knew we needed her. She's supossed to be our mentor in all this, guide us, explain things to us."  
"It's not like we're abandoned, InuYasha. Mikado is still here."  
InuYasha laid the Tetsusaiga across his lap, looking down at it, "Yeah, but...why did she do it? She knew ...we needed her. She...she was..."  
"She was a friend, InuYasha," Kagome finished for him, "Not just a guide, but a friend."  
He snorted, but it was weak.  
Kagome gently spoke again, "You're allowed to miss her, you know. You only knew her a little while, but she was almost family to you. Considering all that she told you, she was close to you. And I could see you were getting close to her too. It's ok, InuYasha. You can be sad."  
He looked at her for a moment, lost.  
_You've been at war with your own emotions for so long, you don't even know what you're allowed to feel, do you?_  
Before she even knew what she was planning, Kagome reached out, and slid her fingers into his bangs, pushing them back from his eyes, lightly touselling his hair. He looked at her, shocked, but the hurt was stronger.  
She smiled sadly, sliding her hand to the back of his head, and gently pulled him towards her.  
"C'mere," she murmured, pulling him to her, guiding his head down to her shoulder. For just a fraction of a second, he resisted, but gave way, and rested his head against her shoulder, leaning on her lightly, eyes against the soft curve of her neck.  
"You're allowed to be sad, " Kagome whispered, lightly smoothing his hair with her hand, the other one resting gently against his back, "It's ok."  
He let out a long sigh, and shivered. He put his arms around her, and stayed that way, face hidden from the world against her. She knew he wouldn't shed any tears...InuYasha probably hadn't shed tears in a long, long time. But it didn't really matter. He needed her, and she would be his shield for tonight.


	3. Chapter 3

"Thank goodness the storm passed over," Sango said, standing outside the hut the next day. The sky was still overcast, but things had settled down some. Miroku wondered if that meant the argument in the heavens had been settled as well.  
"Is this enough wood, Kaede?" InuYasha asked, walking around the corner, bearing an enormous pile of wood in his arms.  
The old lady blinked in shock, "Uh...yes. Thank ye, InuYasha, that should suffice for quite a while."  
He walked to the edge of the hut, dumping the wood with a loud clatter, "Well...we might be gone again if anything comes up, so I figured might as well just get what you need now."  
Kaede smiled up at him, "Most kind of you, InuYasha."  
InuYasha, uncomfortable, shrugged it away, "Yeah, well, don't go expecting this all the time or anything."  
He walked off, moving around the hut.  
Kaede walked over to Miroku and Sango, and spoke gently, "It is hard to believe a person can change so much in the space of just over one year."  
"InuYasha has a kind heart," Miroku smiled, speaking gently, not wanting the hanyou to overhear himself being discussed, "He just had to keep it hidden for so long for his own survival." He sighed softly, "He'll probably never be able to completely overcome it. No matter what happens, I think he will always have that manner of pulling back behind a wall at the last minute."  
"Even so," Sango said quietly, "It's good to see he's more comfortable in his own skin, as my father used to say."  
"When I was just a little girl," Kaede said softly, "I only saw InuYasha once or twice. And I was afraid of him. He was very wild back then, and certainly had no time for a child. I know now he would never have hurt me, but I did not know that at the time."  
"Didn't Kikyo tell you he wasn't dangerous?"  
Kaede was quiet for a moment, and then spoke very quietly, "She did not. I...do not know if she felt that way or not."  
Sango blinked at the older woman, "Lady Kaede...forgive me, I know Kikyo was your sister, but...she loved him, didn't she? She wouldn't have loved him if she had thought he was a danger to you or anyone else."  
Kaede bent, and picked up a small bundle of herbs she had gathered earlier. Her old eyes wandered out over the village for a few moments, and then spoke gently.  
"Kikyo was my sister, and I love her still. And as a child, I loved her with all my heart. But I will tell you this in all truth. I never saw InuYasha inside the village, not once. Sister Kikyo always left to meet him."  
Kaede turned, and made her way back to her hut. Sango and Miroku looked at each other, not understanding at first what she meant.

It was about an hour later, InuYasha was sitting on a fence, overlooking the village, tapping his fingers. He was waiting for Kagome. Kaede had told him she had gone out with Shippo and DarkWind to treat a villager's child who had the flu. He would have gone looking for her, but had sort of gotten stuck with helping Kaede stock up her wood.  
He was starting to wish the old woman would move closer down to where the other villagers were.  
_She's getting too damn old to be living on her own now. Not that I'd let the old bat hear me say that. She should start looking for someone to help her out more.  
Well, that wood should do her a while now, anyway. And seeing it's not really cold, she only needs enough to cook by. Still..._  
There was a sudden blurring of color to his left, one he now recognised as DarkWind _phasing_ to this location. He only had a moment to wonder what he was doing instead of walking back with Kagome, when the Kageri appeared in place, Shippo clinging to his shoulder, and carrying Kagome in his arms, the shaft of an arrow protruding from her left shoulder. DarkWind hit the ground running, heading towards Kaede's hut, long black braid flying out behind him.  
InuYasha almost fell off the fence in shock, before managing to get to his feet, lunging after the Kageri, _"What happened!?"_  
"Someone shot from the forest, InuYasha-Warrior!" DarkWind called back, darting up the few steps, pushing aside the door covering. Shippo looked half dead, but he managed to cling to DarkWind's vest with all he had.  
_"Is she alright? Kagome!?"_ InuYasha dropped to his knees beside the fire, frantic, watching her face as DarkWind lay her on the floor. Her face contorted in pain, and she cried out.  
"What's going on?" Lady Kaede called out, pushing her way in behind the others, blinking, "Kagome! What happened?"  
"She was _shot_!" Shippo suddenly found his voice, and burst into tears.  
Miroku and Sango had run in behind Kaede, and Sango took Shippo from DarkWind's shoulder. The Kitsune child looked green from the translocating, but his green eyes were huge.  
"Shippo, what happened?"  
Kaede knelt, and untied Kagome's top, peering at the arrow. InuYasha stared over her shoulder at the arrow shaft, unable to help noticing that it was the same shoulder that had been hit long ago with a crossbow bolt inside the castle. The hit she had taken while trying to get him out, to save his soul from being sucked into a blackened gem. The one that carried the scar she was so self-conscious about.  
"We were just leaving the hut of the sick kid when the arrow came out of the forest, and hit Kagome! She fell back and hit the wall of the hut! And then she screamed!"  
_"Who did it!?"_ InuYasha demanded.  
"I do not know, InuYasha-Warrior," DarkWind said levelly, his reddish-black eyes on Kagome's face, "For I had to bring Nushi here as quickly as I could." He looked up, and met the hanyou's eyes, "Perhaps, when we are sure Nushi is well, a hunting party would be in order?"  
InuYasha narrowed his eyes, and spoke, "I don't need your help, I'll find who did this on my own."  
DarkWind bowed his head to the hanyou, and spoke calmly, "My duty dictates that I avenge my Nushi if she is injured. _But_..." he looked up, meeting InuYasha's eyes again, "My duty does not dictate to _whom_ I give the transgressor to for justice. I humbly beg permission to join you in the hunt, InuYasha-Warrior, with the clear understanding that justice shall be meted out by you."  
InuYasha blinked, not expecting this from the Kageri. He had always considered DarkWind a rival.  
Miroku was equally surprised, and used it to his advantage, "Two hunters are more likely to find the prey, InuYasha."  
The hanyou leaned back, studying DarkWind in silence for a moment, before nodding, "Fine. But he's _mine_ when we find him, understand?"  
DarkWind nodded, "Completely, InuYasha-Warrior."  
Kagome suddenly cried out, and everyone turned to her.  
"It's deep," Kaede said, worriedly, "But luckily it missed both her heart, her lung, _and_ her shoulder. The crossbolt bolt damaged her shoulder before, this might have ruined it altogether. As it is, it's just in flesh."  
"You say that," Kagome croaked, "Like it's in cotton candy."  
"Kagome?" InuYasha leaned over, on knees and elbows, and took her free hand, "Are you ok?"  
She looked at him, the haze of pain in her eyes, and he slapped a hand over his face, _She has an ARROW in her, that's NOT OK!_  
"Are ye hurt anywhere else, Kagome?" Kaede asked softly, already motioning for Sango to start boiling some water. Miroku stood, and moved to the cupboard where Kaede kept her surgical things. He had seen arrows being removed before, and knew what would be needed.  
"No..." she said breathlessly, "Just...shoulder. Hurts...to...breathe."  
"It's too high to have hit your lung, so you don't have to be frightened of that," Kaede gently comforted her, "It hurts when you breathe because your chest moves, that is all."  
"Ok," Kagome said, "Good. Thanks."  
"Sango, pass me down that package there, with the blue powder inside. Nay, don't inhale! Good. Those will aid Kagome with the pain. Put three...mmmm. Four of those small wooden spoons' worth in a small cup, and add enough water to fill it."  
"Ooooh..." Kagome shivered, whispering, "This is going to hurt so much."  
InuYasha looked at her, and she tried to smile at him, but it withered on her trembling lips, and died. Her whole body was trembling as shock started to set in.  
"I'm right here," he said, squeezing her hand. He reached out with his other hand, and brushed back her bangs. He heard DarkWind talking lowly to Kaede, but his attention was on her, "Did you see anything, Kagome? Anything at all?"  
"No," she said weakly, "Nothing. I was walking out, and feeling so happy that I had helped the little boy, and then it hit me. I think I lost a shoe," she tried again to smile, and it failed.  
"We'll get it back, don't worry."  
"Nushi?" DarkWind leaned over, and spoke gently, "I am going to aid the Lady Kaede in the removal of the arrow."  
"You!?" InuYasha tensed, glaring over Kagome at the Kageri, "You're not a healer!"  
"No, InuYasha-Warrior, I am not. But I am going to ensure that Nushi does not feel the pain of the removal."  
InuYasha blinked, "What? How?"  
"I will remove her consciousness from her body."  
"You _what_?"  
"In essence, I will be holding her mind, separate from her body."  
InuYasha's hand tightened around Kagome's, "You're going to _remove_ her _mind?_ Are you _insane?_"  
"I have done this before, InuYasha-Warrior. It is not outside my abilities. Nushi's mind, to me, is as a large room. It can also take the shape of a small sphere. In this manner, I can remove her...awareness... from her body, and hold it carefully, until the Lady Kaede removes the arrow. I can then replace her awareness in her body."  
"No, it sounds too dangerous," InuYasha said, "If you mess up, or drop it or something, Kagome's brain suffers."  
"I will not 'mess up'," DarkWind said, and his voice suddenly took on an odd, tense tone, a tone of being slighted, "I am perfectly aware of what I am capable of, and I would not risk Nushi's mind in any manner."  
"Kaede has herbs," InuYasha said firmly, his eyes boring into the Kageri, "That she's used before. It will put Kagome to sleep, and she'll be fine. We've used them before, we know they're safe."  
"InuYasha," Kaede said quietly, interjecting herself into the argument, "While the herbs _do_ provide sleep, the removal of the arrow is going to be extremely painful. There is a very strong likelihood that it will pull Kagome out of her sleep."  
"Well can't you just give her more?"  
"Giving her enough to ensure a deep sleep would be trial and error, and there is the chance I would give her too much, and put her in a sleep she would not awaken from at all. If DarkWind says he can ensure that Kagome will feel _no_ pain at all, it would be cruel of us not to allow her that option.  
To say nothing of the fact it is, really, not our choice at all. It is Kagome's decision, not ours."  
InuYasha looked down at Kagome, swallowing when he saw she was looking straight at him. Of course it was her choice...he had just...  
She spoke, weakly, "DarkWind won't let anything happen to me, InuYasha. I'm completely safe with him."  
He swallowed again, "Yeah...I know..." he smoothed back her bangs again.  
"Well, then...if DarkWind is ready," Kaede said, laying out some rather wicked-looking things on a roll of cloth, "We can begin."  
DarkWind nodded, and stood. He walked around to sit at Kagome's head. He reached out, and gently laid a hand on the top of her head, and smiled down at her, "You will feel only sleepy, Nushi. That is all. Although you may have some odd dreams, for which I apologise."  
Kagome smiled faintly, "Ok."  
InuYasha watched her face, and started to lean back, letting go of her hand, to move out of the way.  
Kagome suddenly turned, clamping onto his hand in a death grip, "No!"  
He stopped, blinking at her, "Kagome?"  
"You..." her eyes were wide, "You're going to stay, aren't you?"  
"If...if you want me to." he said.  
Kagome nodded, looking at him a little wildly, fear in her eyes. She suddenly turned to Kaede, "If he's not in your way?"  
The old woman smiled, "InuYasha will not be in my way as long as he stays where he is. Holding your hand will not interfere. In fact, it may prove useful having a second hand here in case I need something."  
Kagome rested her head again, nodding.  
"I'm right here, Kagome," InuYasha said, "I'll stay until you wake up."  
"Ok," she said in a small voice, "I'm holding you to that."  
He rubbed the back of her hand with his fingers, watching. Black eyes remained locked with gold ones until her eyelids drooped, fluttered, and then closed.

With Kagome out cold, it went faster than it had the first time she had had to have a crossbow bolt removed. There was no stopping to allow the person to drink more herbal tea, no stress as someone had to hold down the person being worked on.  
Kaede removed Kagome's shirt, cutting it open, and placed a folded cloth over her breasts for modesty.  
Kaede used a strange-looking instrument, two long, smooth and curved bars, about seven inches long, and half an inch thick. They were joined near one end by another wooden peg, so they opened and closed, similar to a pair of scissors. Kaede took up a very sharp knife, and cut into Kagome's skin, lengthening the cut where the arrow entered. Red blood welled up, running across her skin.  
InuYasha's nose twitched, the hot coppery smell mixed with Kagome's own scent making him feel ill. His eyes traced over the old scar on her shoulder, the arrow shaft sticking out from the bottom of it.  
_She got that because of me,_ he thought, for the hundredth time, _Saving me from that castle._  
His fingertips lightly traced over the back of her hand.  
DarkWind's eyes were closed, one hand lightly touching the top of her head. The Kageri held Kagome's consciousness within himself, cradling it against himself, like a small glowing treasure. He could feel she was frightened, but she drifted, dreaming. He could feel, though, that even in her dream, she remembered the hanyou's promise. He would be there, until she awoke.  
He smiled.  
When the cut had been lengthened enough, Kaede picked up the strange wooden instrument, and opened it, sliding it into the cut. She pushed the instrument into Kagome's flesh, closing it around the arrowhead. Then in one slow, careful motion, she drew out the arrow. In this manner only could the arrow be removed without the barbs doing terrible damage on it's way out.  
Kaede cleaned the wound, and washed it with hot herbal water to discourage infection. Then she used bone needles to stitch up the cut.  
When all was done, Kagome was bandaged neatly, and covered up again. It took a little under an hour.  
Kaede moved back, and DarkWind gently placed Kagome's consciousness back inside her own body.  
InuYasha leaned over, chafing her hand, watching her face closely.  
After a second or two, Kagome's eyelids fluttered, and she opened her eyes, her eyebrows coming together in pain.  
She made a soft sound of pain, closing her eyes for a minute, then opening them again. She turned her head, and looked at InuYasha, and faintly smiled.  
"Are you ok?" he asked.  
"I had the strangest dream," she said weakly, "Of skydiving gophers."  
He blinked.  
"Drink some of this tea, Kagome," Kaede said, smiling, "It will keep the pain away while you heal."  
DarkWind moved back, allowing InuYasha to slide in behind Kagome, and help her to a sitting position. She winced at the pain, but took the cup and drank it down.  
"I'm going to fall asleep again, aren't I?" she asked Kaede.  
"Yes," the older woman said, "But you'll wake now and then to eat. The arrow came out cleanly, you should be fine."  
Miroku had taken the arrow when Kaede removed it, and wrapped it up in an old cloth. Now InuYasha noticed both the monk and Sango were bent over to the side, talking lowly to each other.  
He looked back at Kagome, "Are you in much pain?"  
"No, I'm sort of...floating. That tea does wonders." She smiled, and squeezed his hand, "Thank you."  
He just nodded, still gently rubbing her hand, and watched as she sank down into a normal sleep.  
When he was sure she was well out, he leaned back, closing his eyes and sighing, drooping.  
He looked at DarkWind, who was watching Kagome's face as well. He knew he should probably thank him...but he couldn't. DarkWind had done for Kagome what he himself couldn't.  
Well...there _was_ something he could do for her. Go out and find out who the hell had shot her.  
He stood up, starting towards the door, when Miroku called out to him, "InuYasha, wait."  
"What is it, Miroku, I'm in a hurry."  
Miroku and Sango exchanged a glance, and then moved towards the door, to slip outside. Sango called DarkWind to come out as well, irritating InuYasha. DarkWind had done enough, _he_ could track down Kagome's attacker.  
DarkWind stepped down the few steps to stand beside the three others. Miroku stood there with the arrow in a piece of cloth.  
"Well, what is it?" InuYasha demanded.  
"The arrow that was removed from Kagome," Miroku said, "it..well..."  
He glanced at Sango again, and then held it out, unwrapping it.  
The shaft was simple light wood, the flight feathers white.  
The arrowhead was white jade.  
DarkWind and InuYasha both blinked, shocked.  
DarkWind looked up at Miroku, "That arrow was meant for me, Miroku-Monk, not Nushi."  
"That's right," Miroku said lowly, stealing a glance at InuYasha.  
The hanyou stood, staring at the arrow, his face pale. Both he and Miroku had seen one before, and knew who had shot it.  
Kikyo.  
_I...I told her to leave DarkWind alone,_ InuYasha said, his gut twisting, _I told her it would hurt Kagome._  
"So someone here knows how to hunt Kageri," DarkWind said, troubled, "And they harmed Nushi." His face darkened, "Well, we shall see who he is, and why his aim is so poor. Shall we go, InuYasha-Warrior?"  
InuYasha said nothing for a moment, then turned his face from DarkWind, his voice hard.  
"You stay with Kagome. I'll go see who it was."  
DarkWind looked at him, confused, "I thought we agreed-"  
"We didn't agree on anything!" InuYasha yelled, glaring at the Kageri, "I don't need your help! Stay here!"  
He turned, lunging down towards the village.  
DarkWind looked back, shocked. Sango was about to speak to him, when she saw anger cross DarkWind's face, and he _phased_ out.  
"Oh no," Sango said to Miroku, "This can't end well. Should we-"  
"No," Miroku shook his head, "I don't think it's a good idea, and more importantly...by the time we caught up with them, it would be over anyway."


	4. Chapter 4

He sped over the ground, his nose searching for Kikyo's scent. Emotions warred inside him. Why had she tried to kill DarkWind after he had told her it would hurt Kagome? She couldn't have not cared, could she?  
A little voice in his head suddenly asked, _Are you sure it was DarkWind she was aiming at?_  
He growled at himself. Of _course_ it was DarkWind! Kikyo wouldn't have tried to shoot Kagome!  
A blur of color appeared beside him, and he turned, angry, to see DarkWind phase into being beside him, gliding effortlessly over the ground.  
"I said I didn't need your help!" InuYasha snarled.  
DarkWind looked angry, "You said we would hunt Nushi's attacker together!"  
"I changed my mind! Go back!"  
The Kageri sounded angry, "Stop pushing my help aside, InuYasha-Warrior! We will find this person faster if we work together!"  
InuYasha turned, swinging at DarkWind, "I don't _want_ your help and I don't _need_ your help! _Get lost!"_  
DarkWind backed up, "I don't understand you, InuYasha-Warrior! I would think you would be more than eager to find Nushi's attacker! Do you not want justice for Nushi?"  
"I'll talk to her myself, you go back to Kagome!"  
DarkWind frowned, "Talk to who? Are you saying you know who Nushi's attacker is?"  
"You keep out of this!"  
DarkWind moved towards InuYasha, grabbing the front of his haori, pulling him in towards him, moving so quickly InuYasha hadn't had time to react, "Who attacked Nushi!?"  
"She didn't attack Kagome, she was aiming at _you_!" InuYasha's hand flashed out, claws aiming for DarkWind's face, but the Kageri darted backwards, out of reach.  
DarkWind stared at InuYasha, angry. As a Kageri, he had often come under attack by his master's enemies before. A Kageri was an unfair advantage, so one tried to get rid of that advantage.  
It didn't mitigate the guilt he felt, though.  
What he didn't understand, was why InuYasha-Warrior was keeping the identity of Kagome's attacker a secret. Even if the person _had_ been aiming at him, the hanyou should be livid.  
It made no sense, unless...  
DarkWind fell silent.  
He had seen, in Kagome's thoughts, and sometimes her dreams, another woman who was good with a bow.  
A priestess. Someone who would probably know that white jade could kill a Kageri.  
DarkWind spoke, his voice suddenly cold, "No wonder Kagome has put aside your affection."  
InuYasha's eyes widened, rage washing over him like cold water, _"What did you say!?"_  
"Even now, you will take this Priestess' side over Kagome's."  
_"No! You keep your mouth shut, you don't understand any of this!_ I told Kikyo to leave you alone, because it would hurt Kagome if you were hurt! I don't give a Godsdamned bit for you, but to leave Kagome alone. Kikyo wouldn't hurt Kagome."  
DarkWind huffed, "Oh? Why, then, did she not come out, apologising for what happened? She is a Priestess, no? Skilled in healing? Yet she did not appear to try and help in any manner."  
"And what would you have done?" InuYasha yelled, "You would have killed her!"  
"_I cannot act without Kagome's instruction!_" DarkWind yelled back at InuYasha, "Why can you not understand that!? And if this Kikyo is indeed a Priestess, she should have known this!"  
Both men stood, vibrant with anger, glaring at the other. InuYasha found his voice first, "You said Kageri don't feel jealousy. You wouldn't be able to understand what it's like to be a human!"  
"I have been inside Kagome's mind and soul, InuYasha-Warrior. I understand jealousy. And I understand hurt."  
InuYasha was breathing heavily in his anger. He shook his head, "You don't understand. You don't know Kikyo."  
DarkWind drew himself up, speaking levelly, trying to keep calm, "No. I do not know Kikyo. But I know Kagome. I have seen her heart. I have seen her mind. I have seen the beauty that is her soul. And you know, as do I, InuYasha-Warrior, that were the situation reversed, Kagome would have come out of the forest, apologising, and attempting to be of some help.  
You know this."  
InuYasha looked away, not speaking, anger burning low in him, like banked coals.  
DarkWind spoke again, "I will return to Kagome. My place is beside my Nushi. Do as you will."  
Before he could retort, DarkWind phased out, dissapearing.  
InuYasha snarled to himself, furious.  
It was none of DarkWind's business! He had no business in this!  
InuYasha turned, and started running on again, searching.  
Why the hell had Kikyo...  
_"...Kagome would have come out of the forest, apologising, and attempting to be of some help."  
"No wonder Kagome has put aside your affection."_  
InuYasha savagely snarled again.  
He burned in fury, yet a small part of him couldn't help but notice that DarkWind had stopped calling Kagome "Nushi", and was calling her by her given name. As if she was not just "Master" anymore, but a separate person.  
He wasn't sure what that meant, and wasn't sure if he liked it.

He found only a faint trace of her scent, and he was unable to follow it. The wind had tossed it about too much, and he had lost the trail. The only thing he noticed about it was that it seemed richer somehow. Warmer. But that made no sense.  
He sniffed around the hut where the sick boy had been, but found nothing. Only a faint scent of Kikyo, Kagome, Shippo, and DarkWind.  
And Kagome's shoe.  
InuYasha bent and picked it up, staring at it mutely.  
She had been hit so hard, she had literally lost a shoe.  
Shippo's voice came back to him, _"She fell back and hit the wall of the hut! And then she screamed!"_  
InuYasha ground his teeth, turned, and struck the closest tree with his fist.  
Why had Kikyo done it?

He returned to Kaede's hut, slipping inside, carrying Kagome's shoe. He didn't see DarkWind anywhere, and cautiously looked around.  
What was he going to tell Kagome? How could he look at her and tell her that Kikyo had shot her?  
Once, before, Kagome had put herself in danger for Kikyo...and this was how Kikyo repaid her.  
He looked around, noticing Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kaede seated around the fire, but they were all turned towards Kagome, who was awake, and sitting up, propped up on cushions.  
They all looked up at him when he entered, and he flinched, expecting anger, disbelief.  
"There you are," Sango smiled, "We were starting to wonder what had happened to you. DarkWind had come back earlier, and said you couldn't find any trace."  
_He...said that?_  
"Uh...yeah."  
"My shoe," he heard Kagome weakly laugh, "You brought it back."  
He moved to her side, and sat, "You're awake. And sitting up? Kaede, is it ok?"  
"If Kagome feels up to it, it's fine. And she's not exactly sitting, as much as leaning heavily."  
The others turned back to the fire, affording them a little privacy.  
InuYasha placed the shoe on the ground, next to her other one, and studied her face. She was pale, but her eyes looked bright, which was a good sign.  
"Are you ok?" she asked.  
He blinked, "What?"  
"I...felt, through DarkWind's link. You and him had a fight, didn't you?"  
InuYasha blinked, leaning back slightly.  
"Don't be angry at him, InuYasha. He wants to find out who did this too. I know you're not used to working with others...besides us, I mean...but don't shut him out. I know he'd like to be your friend."  
"Uh...I...uh...yeah."  
"And don't worry about...what happened. The Shadelings wouldn't use a regular bow and arrow. Maybe it was just a hunter. Or a kid from the village. They're probably hiding in their house, terrified, thinking they killed me or something."  
Guilt swamped over him, and he fussed with the blanket covering her, tucking it around her feet, "All...all that matters is that you're ok. That's all."  
She smiled at him, and he suddenly remembered how she had held him, just last night, letting him lean against her, letting his sorrow surface.  
He dropped his eyes to her feet, under the blanket, not sure what to say or do.  
"InuYasha? What's wrong?" she asked.  
He looked up, meeting her eyes again. He reached out, and brushed her bangs back from her face, "I..."  
"InuYasha?"  
"I'll take better care of you," he said quietly, "I promise."  
Kagome smiled, softly laughing, "How? By putting me in a safe and sitting on it?"  
"I mean it!"  
"I know you do," she smiled at him, and took his hand from her hair, and patted it lightly.  
_"No wonder Kagome has put aside your affection."_  
He pulled his hand back, and sat back, "You...you should rest. Kaede did a good job, but you were still cut up."  
"Yeah," she said, "Scar on my scar. Oh well."  
"Where...where's DarkWind?"  
"He wanted to go talk to Tristar."  
"While you're hurt!?"  
She laughed again, "I can talk to him anytime, InuYasha, he's never really far away."  
He leaned back, angry.  
"InuYasha?"  
"Nothing."  
"What-"  
"Nothing."  
She sighed, closing her eyes, suddenly looking tired.  
InuYasha looked back at her.  
_The first, tiny flame._  
_"..He's never really far away."  
"I have seen her heart. I have seen her mind. I have seen the beauty that is her soul."_  
He hesitated, then reached out, and took her hand, _I need you._  
She opened her eyes, and looked at him, a faint line of concern on her forehead, "What's wrong?"  
"Nothing, I...just...was..."  
"InuYasha?"  
"I was scared."  
Her face softened, and she squeezed his hand, "I'm not going anywhere, InuYasha. You can't get rid of me that easily."  
_I love you,_ he thought.  
"Good," he said lowly.

END


End file.
